
Alum
Matthew Davidson
Position
Associate Professor
Affiliated Departments
Faculty Bio E-Mail
Telephone
617-747-6352
For media inquiries, please contact Media Relations
Courses Taught (6)
Career Highlights
- Cycling ’74: Product manager for MaxForLive and audio features in Max
- MOTU: User interface designer of a number of award-winning software products including Digital Performer, MX4, Cuemix, Volta, and others
Education
- B.M., Berklee College of Music, music synthesis and film music composition dual major
- Graduate studies, University of Texas at Austin, music composition
In Their Own Words
"I believe I’m from the first generation of musicians who grew up with computers. As a kid I had an interest in both music and computers, even though personal computers weren’t common at the time. I learned how to compose by trial and error using the computer, which gave me immediate and nonjudgmental feedback. The turning point for me was in the mid-'80s, when MIDI came out and the technology became affordable. This dual interest is what got me into Berklee as a student."
"I spent most of my professional life in the music software industry, so I know firsthand how quickly technology evolves. I teach the generalized concepts underneath the technology so my students can apply what they learn to any future technology they’re going to encounter. I want to give them the base of the pyramid: the information to solve their own problems or know where to go to solve them."
"Everything inspired me when I was a student at Berklee. I kept a notebook of projects I wanted to do after I finished my homework, when I had downtime. I give my students strategies for capturing their own inspiration as they’re completing their assignments. By the end of a semester, I want my students to be armed with techniques and ideas they can spend the rest of their lives exploring."
"I used to define ‘success’ as the ability to make a living with music, but that got a bit more refined when I started doing work for hire. Since then, ‘success’ for me is more a matter of artistic integrity, being able to achieve what I set out to achieve."